Well, I went from a MicroKorg to Eurorack in the span of 1.5 years :)
Yeah, I can hear that. Pat Martino is a crazy guy, especially how he lost his memory for awhile. I almost had a chance to see him play a few times. His playing is a bit clean for my tastes Always like to catch some of those legends when I've been in NYC at some of those storied clubs.
The thing is, modular is the thing that feels most like a physical instrument to me..also, it's mathematical, and my job and academic background is in the sciences, so it feels quite a natural blend to me. It's the intersection of physics and music. Been interested in non-linearity for many years.
Lucky you, all my electronic influences are British, basically, much better culture for it there--I'd place Aphex Twin just below Miles Davis in terms of influence..